Her Arrogant Toerag
by black hippogriff
Summary: James was absolutely falling for Lily. But it didn't seem like Lily was anything close to being flattered by James. How did things became the way it is - with Lily's name being Lily Potter? How did James turned from an arrogant toerag to Lily's soulmate?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Basically, I really ship Jily. So I imagined how they, well, Lily went from hating James to loving him. It's just a little love story of one of my many OTPs. ****. I wrote it based on the images of James and Lily (and the Marauders) portrayed by Viria (I LOVE VIRIA'S FANART). **I hope you enjoy it, and I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as possible. :)

**p.s. I don't own Harry Potter.**

CHAPTER 1

It was already the end of their sixth year at Hogwarts and that arrogant toerag, a.k.a James Potter, was still trying to ask her out. Lily couldn't remember, how many times has she turned down his offer? At first, she tried to say it politely. But of course, that git had to be really stubborn. He kept on asking her over and over and over again. And every time he asked, she would show that she was incredibly annoyed by him, and that it's an obvious 'no'.

If James Potter could act more mature, maybe she would agree to go out with him, for once. But what with all the bullying, and 'flattering girls' business of his and his best mate, Sirius Black, she just couldn't imagine herself going out with James. James and Sirius, they especially like to pick on Severus. And Severus, he tried to act real powerful and arrogant too. He refused to let Lily help him and even called her a mudblood.

Since arriving at Hogwarts, nothing has been right between her and Severus. It was fine at first, really. Then Lily got sorted in Gryffindor, while Severus was in Slytherin. And then Severus started to have this crazy interest in Dark Arts. He befriended Mulciber and Avery from Slytherin. Lily would've felt fine with Severus having more friends; in fact, she would've felt happy for him. But since the other two were known Death Eaters, who _really_ worship the Dark Lord, Lily didn't quite like them and she wanted Severus to stay away from them. That was when her friendship with the guy started feeling unstable.

But now, everything between Lily and Severus was definitely ruined. While she was clinging on to the hope that they could still mend their relationship, he seemed to destroy it (probably unintentionally, but he was still destroying it). He called her a mudblood when she stood up against the Marauders for him, when she was trying to help him. She would stand up for anyone in that situation, but she wanted him to know that she still see him as her friend, and that she still cared. It didn't look like Severus got that and he even insulted her in the worst way he could, _in public_. She was totally frustrated and upset, and she decided that there was nothing left to hold on to. After the bullying incident, Severus did come to her to say sorry, but Lily was too hurt to say she accept the apology. She couldn't pretend that everything was normal like when they were younger, that he didn't hurt her.

While Lily was standing under the porch looking out at the Hogwarts ground, lost in thoughts, the Marauders came marching towards her from the lake. James Potter and Sirius Black was saying some jokes about Peter Pettigrew, whose face was growing redder by the second, while Remus Lupin tried to suppress a laugh and said something nice to cheer Peter up. They quickly noticed Lily and, as if they have practiced it, Remus, Sirius and Peter smirked and pushed James at her direction. Peter even said something like: "You could do it, Prongs!"

"Evans! The year's ending; want to go out with me before it's too late?" James Potter head rise a little higher from most of the people around him, with a perfect grin plastered across his face. His hair was sticking up like always, and as much as the other girls around school fell for it, Lily hated it.

"How many times, Potter, will I have to say no to make you understand that I will never go out with you?" Lily heaved a sigh, looked up a bit so her green eyes could glare right into his hazel ones. His eyes were really beautiful, clear, bright and rather mischievous. Well, not rather - _very _mischievous.

James loved it when Lily does that. When she stared angrily into his eyes, and though she made it quite clear that he was disturbing her, she looked adorable. Those clear emerald green eyes, which flashed with every dart of the pupil, were hypnotising him. James could look at those eyes forever, and he wanted to make sure he would. "Erm - let's see, as much as it would take me to persuade you to break the rules?" James said, his smile widened.

Technically, what James said was true. Lily would never intentionally break the rules, and especially if James told her to. She was always the good girl, trying her best at every subject, and every other thing in school. Most Hogwarts professors said that she was one of the brightest witches they had seen. Lily was always proud of that, and she was not going to destroy her reputation just because some arrogant toerag told her to.

Lily rolled her eyes, sighed again and walked away. She was sure James Potter would follow her, and he did. He walked backwards alongside her, so that he could see her beautiful face. Lily was tying her long, ginger hair up in a loose bun, some strands of orange hair hung at the sides of her slightly long face.

"Evans, why won't you go out with me?" James tried to look more serious, but he had to admit, it was really difficult.

"Seriously, Potter, I thought you'd know it by now. It's quite obvious, really."

"Er - I don't know." James was always happy and satisfied with what he was. He could enchant spells fine, he even learnt to be an Animagus. He had great friends, all of them with great nicknames (Padfoot, Moony, Wormtail and Prongs - himself). As humble as he could've said it, he looked good, and it was not just him who thought so. Most people said that, well, except for Lily. And he was the Captain and Chaser of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Things weren't really bad, to be honest.

"Merlin's beard, Potter!" Lily cried, finally gave up on holding herself. "You are an arrogant toerag, who thinks you're ever so powerful. You're incredibly full of yourself, even though you are a bloody bully. You think you're amazingly cool with your Marauder friends, and you think you could just sweep every girl of their feet with your seemingly perfect grin and messy hair that always stick up. Well, let me tell you something: People might think you're cool and whatever, BUT I DON'T."

With that said, Lily stomped away. This time, James didn't follow her anymore. He stayed where he was, wondering how Lily managed to look so amazing even when she was angry. But let's be honest, there wasn't a moment when James thought she wasn't pretty, and as far as he could remember, Lily was always irritated with him hanging around.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Lily woke up, feeling rather dizzy, and hungry. She had stayed up until midnight yesterday to finish her Transfiguration essay. It was definitely the end of the year, but Lily loved to do things like this and immediately agreed to do it when Professor McGonagall offered. She quickly dressed herself up with Hogwarts robes and grabbing her finished essay, dashed down the stairs into the Gryffindor Common Room. The last person she expected to bump in this early in the morning was James. And she_ literally_ bumped into him, her forehead hitting his chin. They almost fell, but James was fast enough to steady himself and catch her.

"Morning, Evans." James Potter said with his left hand on her arm and his right hand on his chin. Even though his face was distorted because to the pain the bump caused him, he still managed to look all impressive and athletic. "Even if you're in a hurry, Evans, you should keep your eyes open. I don't want you to run into people along the hallways. If they're taller than you, they'll hurt their chins. Like me. If they're smaller than you, they'll hurt their bums, since they'll fall under your impact. You're quite strong, you know."

Lily glared at James. It was just her luck to run into this toerag at this hour of the day. "What are you doing here, Potter? Shouldn't you be at the Great Hall for breakfast? Shouldn't you be with the Marauders? And haven't I told you that I don't want to go out with you yesterday?" she said, sounding exhausted. "I even stated out the reasons, Merlin's beard!"

"Slow down, Evans." James raised his hands, as if saying '_I surrender_.' "Blimey, you sound angry. Did you stay up last night to do that essay that McGonagall told you to do? You don't have to do it if you don't wan to. You've already done far more than enough in class!"

"It's none of your business, Potter. So, why are you here?"

"Okay, I've been thinking," James smiled. He seemed really excited about something. He looked like a toddler who'd just discovered the real function of the spoon. "about what you said yesterday afternoon. I realised that most of the things you said were true." He stopped talking, and waited for Lily to look impressed. An arrogant guy like him won't admit that he's got flaws so easily. But Lily didn't look anything close to being impressed. So James continued. "And I have decided to change myself, so that I could impress you. And then, you would go on a date with me!"

Lily almost laughed. How could he think it would be that easy to persuade her to go out with him? But something about his face was solemn, something about it was real. He actually meant it. He would try to improve himself, so that she would like him. Lily could see the determination in James' beautiful hazel eyes, although his face wasn't as serious. She stood there in front of him, and for a moment, she was dumbfounded. Her heart pounded a little harder and faster in her chest. She could feel the blood coursing through her a little faster, and that her face was heating up a bit. For the first time, Lily was impressed by James, impressed that he had really thought about what she said, and even considered changing himself for her.

"Next year, when we come back to our last year at Hogwarts, I promise, Evans, that you will see a totally new James Potter. And then you'll have to consider going out with me!" James quickly kicked the seriousness away from his face and replaced it with a flawless grin. As he walked away of the Common Room, he ruffled his messy hair in a way that made Lily's heart beat even faster.

After a minute or two, Lily's face grew red and she felt a little angry with herself. How could she have let herself fall for that git? How could she be so moved and touched? He was just saying... stuff. He didn't really mean it, did he? She really hoped she didn't show her little bit of affection towards James during their conversation.

"What wrong with you, Lily Evans? He was just bluffing." Lily whispered and sighed to herself.

* * *

**A/N: Short chapter. And I took we a while to work on, since I have the PotterWho fanfic to work on. I really thank the readers, and I hope they enjoyed it. **


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Queen Rowling does.

* * *

"Are you really going to do this, Prongs?" said Sirius Black. He was looking as though he wanted to laugh, but his brows were furrowing, and there was a speck of indignation on his face.

"Yes, I am, Padfoot." James was ruffling his hair. There might have been a twinge of hesitation on his face, but he quickly pushed it aside and replaced it with a serious look that shouldn't fit him. Miraculously, he was even more charming with his eyes solemn and his mouth in a straight line. "I certainly am."

"James Potter! How could you do this? You know what this is? This is betrayal – this is treachery!" cried Sirius.

James grinned. "And may you, Mr. Black, tell me who might I be betraying when I decide to go and say sorry to someone?"

"ME! ME, PRONGS, ME!" Sirius screamed into James's ear, as if to make the message perfectly clear. "You will betray me, _and_, graciously, you will most certainly be breaking the most important, the number one rule of the Marauders, when you go and apologise to that Snivellus."

"I personally think it's time James does this," said Remus Lupin, who had his nose in book for the majority of the argument. "We should all do this, really. We had been pretty much a bunch of bullies to him."

"MOONY! BLOODY HELL, MOONY! You are supposed to stay with me on this! What in the name of Merlin's Patronus did you just say?" Sirius practically howled in devastation. "Wormtail! Come here, Wormtail. Tell them, c'mon, tell them how absurdly ridiculous they are." Sirius dragged Peter Pettigrew into the argument. "C'mon, Wormtail, go on. Tell them." He nudged Peter on.

Peter Pettigrew was utterly bewildered. He didn't thought he would be getting involved. "Er – I… maybe Moony and Prongs are right…" his voice faltered. He cowered and covered his ears not a moment too late.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAARG!" Sirius screamed, his hands on his head. "WHAT THE BLOODY GARGOYLE IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?"

"There's nothing wrong, Padfoot." James said, smiling at Sirius. "It's just that, for once, I would like to not be the Messer and do the right thing."

"THE RIGHT THING?" Sirius stared, bewildered and horrified. He gaped at James for a moment. "Prongs – no, James, your absolutely out of your mind. I can't help you anymore, I give up. Do whatever you want."

"Okay," James took a deep breath, and walked out from the corner to which the Marauders were standing at. Straight up the corridor, not too far away, Severus Snape was walking briskly toward the end of the hallway.

James followed Severus and eventually caught up to him. "Hello, Snape," James stopped in front of Severus. His voice was so serious, even Severus was astonished.

"Get out of my way." said Severus. He stared at James with hatred.

"I want to apologise." James said, and he meant every word.

Severus was stunned. He had never seen a James Potter like this one before. It was the most unlikely that James would say sorry to anyone, and especially not Severus. He was wondering if this has been another trick from the pair of immature, arrogant and thoughtless gits James Potter and Sirius Black, when he heard James talking to him.

"What I did to you before – they were wrong. I was wrong to treat you like that. I'm very sorry."

Severus smirked. He had still got his senses in him. He wasn't stupid, he won't fall for this. And even if Potter was really sorry, he would let him know that it is not that easy. James Potter gave him years and years of misery. He humiliated him. He made the whole school laugh at him. He wasn't going to forgive James and Sirius that easily.

"Who do you think I am, to try and trick me like that?" Severus sneered. "You think I'm going to believe that?"

"I really mean it," James looked at Severus straight in the eye. He was very serious, though it seemed that he was quite tense too. He must be trying really hard to make himself say all this.

"You think that if you say you're sorry, I'm to forgive you, Potter?" Severus smirked. "You think it's that easy? Well, let me remind you, Potter. You called me by a disgusting name. You made fun of me in public. You taunted me. _You_, and that Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, tried to kill me for fun."

James's fists were balling up. His jaw was clenched tight. It was clear that he was trying to suppress his anger. "What happened that night at the Whomping Willow was not what you think it was." James said through clenched teeth.

"It looked to me like you and your friend were trying to lure me to my death."

"If you didn't poke your nose into other people's problem, Sirius wouldn't have been mad at you."

"Not just that, Potter. You ruined my friendship with Lily. All your taunting –"

"I didn't ruin anything." James was getting mad, though he managed to keep his expressions as cool as ever. As he tried to look solemn, his inner Marauder was getting the better of him. A grin spread on his face. "You refused to let her help you, I didn't tell you to do that. _You_ called her a Mudblood; I didn't make you do that. Remember?"

"You're not worth Lily's love and care, Potter. You will never be good enough for her."Severus said angrily.

"Am I not, Snivellus?" All of James's effort to keep a straight face and not taunting Severus was snapped into pieces. He took all his anger and turned into jokes. "Then who do you reckon is good enough for her? You, Snivellus?"

Severus was furious. He took out his wand and pointed it at James. There was already a spell in his mind; all he needed to do was say it.

"Blimey," James grinned, pretending to put his hands up, as if to surrender. "Calm down, Snivellus. You don't want to hurt yourself with that."

"You – You arrogant pile of –" Severus was moving his wand closer to James's face.

James and Severus might not have noticed, but a lot of people were now surrounding them, expecting to watch a spectacular wand duel. A lot of people were trying to move forward to see what was happening. One of those trying to part the crowd and come to the middle was Professor Minerva McGonagall.

"Excuse me, make way, please. I need to come through…" she appeared right in time to stop Severus completing his sentence. "What is all this commotion?"

She looked at both James and Severus. Though reluctantly, Severus withdrew his wand. He turned his eyes to look at the ground. James, on the other hand, didn't even waver. Still grinning, he looked at Professor McGonagall as though nothing has happened. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Snape, please follow me. Everyone else, return to your routine."

She led them to her office. On the way there, no one said a word.

* * *

Lily was sitting in the Great Hall, reading a book she had picked up in the library. She liked spending her time there. Whether she was doing homework, talking with her friends or simply enjoying herself, she would sit there. It seemed peaceful, yet also busy there.

"Oi, Evans!"

Lily jumped as she heard someone called her. That sounded like James Potter. But somehow, it sounded very much different from James. She turned around to find Sirius Black walking towards her. A few girls sitting opposite her in the Gryffindor giggled shyly. Lily would bet anything that Sirius was grinning and winking at them.

Sirius took the seat on Lily's right. "How are things, Evans?"

"Did Potter send you?" Lily asked as she turned back to her book and continued reading.

"Why d'you think so?" said Sirius. She could feel that he was smiling.

"Oh – I don't know, to tell me how awesome and amazing and charming and stupid he is and I really should date him? I'm sorry but you could just go now, so that none of us waste any of our time." Lily turned to face Sirius, who indeed was smiling cheekily at her.

"Awesome and amazing and stupid, huh? That sounds more like me. But anyway, I'll tell James what you just told me," said Sirius. He was grinning mischievously. "He would definitely like it."

Lily eyes were as big as big and round at golf balls. She stared outrageously at Sirius, unable to speak. This guy was unbelievable. "Don't you –" Lily muttered. And then she changed her mind. She took a deep breath and poised herself up. "Fine, do whatever you want. I don't care."

"Great." Sirius smiled. "Okay, now, I came here, actually to tell you something. James has been acting really weird."

"That doesn't have anything to do with me."

"Oh, how very wrong you are, Evans. It's got everything to do with you." Sirius's smile suddenly disappeared. His face darkened. "It is all because of you, Lily Evans, that I have lost my partner in crime. James has been acting good and mature, well, at least he's trying really hard to."

Lily eyed Sirius suspiciously. This was exactly what James would want her to hear. He would want her to believe that he was actually changing for her.

"Don't you look at me like that, Evans. It should be my part to be all suspicious. What have you done to James, huh? Have you fed him some stupid love potion or something? What did you do to Prongs?" Sirius then put a suspicious face and started investigating Lily's face, as if to see if she looked guilty.

Lily looked at Sirius awkwardly. What was wrong with these people? Why did James Potter send his silly friend to her and do all this? "What are you talking about, Black?"

"STOP FAKING IT." Sirius shouted and startled Lily. "Come on, tell me, what did you do? Why is James suddenly of to say sorry to that slimeball Snivellus?"

"What?" Lily exclaimed. "Potter did what?" _What on earth did Sirius Black just say?_ Lily thought. _This is getting ridiculous._

"Like you don't know, Evans. You put James under a trance, didn't you?" Sirius pointed directly at Lily's face.

"That's absurd!" cried Lily. "I didn't do anything! Why has that got anything to do with me? James Potter wanting to change himself is his business, me reading my books is my business. I don't know what you're talking about, and I don't care about it!"

That was a lie, of course. Lily really wanted to listen more about this. Did this mean that James Potter was really trying to be a better person like he had promised her? She was starting to believe in what Black was saying.

"Evans, why don't you just go on a date with James?" said Sirius after a while.

Lily snorted. Sirius Black suddenly jumped to another topic, although it still concerned her and Potter. What he just said was so impossibly stupid, that she could help laughing a little. "Are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm serious."

"I know your Sirius, Black."

"No. The other 'serious'. The S-E-R-I-O-U-S serious. I mean it."

"Why should I listen to you?" Lily really thought that Sirius was serious. But she had learned in her past few years not to trust anyone of the Marauders.

"Don't you see how much effort James is putting in to this thing, trying to go on a date with you? Don't you feel how – ah, what's the word – _sincere _he is to you? He genuinely wanted to change for you. It's been a week since he last talked to you, Evans. That's a record. He thought he might have been annoying you."

Lily found herself, speechless, listening very intently to Sirius. It was true, now that Sirius mentioned it, that James has not been materialising in front of her for quite a while.

"It's nothing bad really, but he is forcing himself not to be _himself. _And I really don't want my friend like that. I want Prongs back. And I've tried and tried and tried to talk to him. It seems like only you could –"

Sirius was cut half in his speech when a hand shook his shoulder. Peter Pettigrew was standing next to him, panting heavily. It looked like he had been running into the Great Hall from the ground.

"Prongs –" Peter paused to breath. "He was sorrying – I me… mean saying sorry – Snivellus – wand – Mc… McGonagall's office–"

Both Sirius and Lily looked at Peter with astonishment. Through the word that Peter had said between his gasping for air, both of them could guess that there was trouble between James and Severus. Sirius looked rather happy about the news and jumped up on his feet, running straight out of the Great Hall. Peter followed him. Lily frowned and then rushed after them.

* * *

**A/N**: Third chapter: TA DAAAA! I think it's quite okay. I'm really sorry it took so long. It's just that I didn't have that much of an inspiration for a long while. Yep. I just hope it's good enough, and it's not so boring that people fell asleep reading it. Anyway, leave a review, okay? I would honestly appreciate that. It doesn't have to be a positive review (just so you know, I really think my writing need improving, so give me some advice). Thank you for reading my fanfic!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** First of all, I would like to say thank you to all of the awesome readers who had left a comment for the previous chapter(s). To those who followed this story, thank you too. You guys are my motivation to write at times when I feel lazy and wanted to sleep rather than do something more productive. So yeah, this is the next chapter. I don't think it is as good as the previous one, but then again, it was just something to connect this chapter and the next. But I hope it doesn't bore you too much. And... here it goes.

* * *

When Lily arrived at the hallway where Professor McGonagall's office was located, she found herself staring a crowd of people, pushing and shoving each other, trying to hear what was happening inside. It has been long since they had seen anything stir between a member of the Marauders and Severus Snape.

Sirius Black had somehow sneaked his way through the crowd, and was visible as one of the students who had their ear stuck on the office door. Peter Pettigrew was standing outside of the mass of people, crouching down, with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

"No more… run… running…" he said to himself.

Lily was wondering how to get near the door when someone struggled and emerged from the crowd. It was Remus Lupin, who was clutching his book and seemed to be sweating.

"Ah, Wormtail. You've brought Padfoot." he said. Then he glanced at Lily and a look of surprise flashed on his face. "You also brought Lily."

"Hello, Remus." Lily said. Remus Lupin was the only Marauder that Lily could come to good terms with. He was the only one of the four to whom she could put up with. Even though he messed around with the rest of them sometimes, he was still modest and mature. He was her fellow Gryffindor Prefect, and they had been friends since fifth year.

"I – I didn't bring her. Sirius was talking to her, in the Great Hall, just now." Peter seemed to have caught his breath.

"Sirius? He left us when James decided to –" Remus paused. He looked confused for a few milliseconds. And then it dawned on him. "Oh. He must've been looking for you. To tell you about James, and Sni – sorry, I mean Severus."

"He sure did." muttered Lily. "And then Pettigrew came in and started saying random things about James and Severus and wands and Professor McGonagall –" Lily faltered. She looked at both Peter's and Remus' face. They looked like they both on the verge of sniggering, and they were just keeping it straight for her sake. "What? What is it?"

"You just said –" Peter said, and broke into a grin.

"You just called Prongs 'James', Lily." Remus was also smiling at her. His smile was half amusing, half sympathetic.

Lily's face had gone a nasty white. And then it reddened. It was as red as her glowing hair. _Why did I say that? Why did I say that, WHY DID I SAY THAT?_ She was screaming in her head. _I shouldn't even be _thinking _about that toerag as James! I take it back, I take it back. _

"I – erm – I mean Potter." She said embarrassingly. "It's just that when Peter said it, he said 'James'," she mimed the quotation marks with her hands when she said 'James'. "So I – er – repeated him." Lily bit her lower lip, her face contorted, and she was shouting at herself in her head for being so dumb.

"Er – but, Lily Evans, I think I didn't say _James_," Peter Pettigrew looked extraordinarily like a rat when he sniggered, "I think I said _Prongs_."

Lily swore there was steam coming out of her ears. She felt so hot she just wanted to dump a bucket of ice on her head. She was wishing very madly for a hole to just appear in the ground so that she could jump down and bury herself in there.

"Isn't Prongs James – I mean – Potter?" she smiled weakly.

The two boys were now positively grinning at her. Peter Pettigrew even seemed to be stifling a cheerful laugh. There was no doubt these two guys were going to tell James Potter about Lily's pathetic conversation with them. Feeling the need to escape this place immediately, Lily rushed off. "I – erm – got to go."

* * *

"I BEG YOUR PARDON?" Mary MacDonald shrieked. It was lucky there were only Lily and her two best friends Mary and Marlene in the dormitory.

"I know, Mary, it's awful enough without you screaming in my ears." Lily said sadly.

"DID A BLOODY BROOMSTICK HIT YOU IN THE HEAD?" Mary totally ignored her friend. "YOU CALLED HIM 'JAMES'? MIGHT AS WELL GO HAND IN HAND WITH THAT TOERAG TO HOGSMEADE NOW, EH?"

"Oh, shut up, Mary!" said Marlene McKinnon, who seemed to take the news in a more casual and calm way. "It's okay, right? Don't you call Lupin 'Remus' all the time?"

"But that is different!"Lily cried, facing Marlene, who was playing with her hair. "I consider Remus a friend. And he's a Prefect, like I am."

"Nonsense, Lily," said Marlene. She scooted so that she sat a little closer to Lily on her four-poster. "You can't give me such a stupid excuse. Would you want to call Potter by his first name if he was Prefect? And plus, I don't really think It's something to fuss about. You don't have to call someone by their last name to proof that you don't like them. And after all, you don't have any feeling for him, right?"

Lily's face went slightly red as Marlene looked at her and waited for her to answer. Mary, who was sitting on the opposite four-poster, was also staring intently at her.

"Or… do you?" whispered Marlene.

"Lily Evans, don't you…" said Mary threateningly. For some reason, she had always disliked the Marauders, even Remus Lupin. She was furious when she found out that one of the school's most famous messers became Prefect.

"I don't, I don't! I honestly don't!" Lily cried frantically.

"Or do you?" Marlene said again, this time with a mysterious and mischievous tone. She, on the contrary to Mary, always seemed to like the Marauder. She loved to occasionally taunt Lily about James.

"You little witch!"Lily looked at Marlene as though she was out of her mind. "I've already said it, I have no feeling for that git whatsoever."

"That doesn't mean that you _won't _have any feeling towards him in the future." Marlene smiled meaningfully. She also started winking at Lily.

"Stop encouraging her, you scum!" Mary was threatening to use her dangerously long fingernails on Marlene. "What is it with you, always supporting those fools?"

"Love… is an _uncontrollable _thing, dear Mary." Marlene said dreamily. "It is _inevitable_. You can't _decide_," she added unnecessary stress to random words, "who you fall in love with. You just… _fall_ in love with them." The more she talked, the more she sounded like a fellow schoolmate that they had, Sybill Trelawney.

"Quit it, Marlene." Lily said, shoving Marlene slightly. Lily tried to look serious, but failed to stifle her laugh. "I've already told you guys, I don't like James Potter."

Even as she said so, Lily was wondering in her head whether that was the truth. There were times that she could not deny that she had felt something rather special toward James. But it was only a tiny bit of affection; it surely won't change anything, would it?

Not long after would Lily find out how terribly wrong she was.

* * *

"And what did McGonagall say?" asked Sirius excitedly. He was sitting on a couch in front of the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Well," James, who was sitting next to Sirius. He looked incredibly tired and disappointed. "Detention and 10 points taken from each house." He said unenthusiastically.

"Naturally." Sirius commented. "When is this detention? Think I'll pop by in your Invisibility Cloak and mess around with Snivellus a while."

James said nothing. He was lost in thoughts. He had failed to do what he promised Lily he would do. And the temptation of messing around was so irresistible. He kept on sighing every time these thoughts hit him, which was every 5 seconds.

Remus Lupin, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the couch, slightly jerked his head up from a book about Transfiguration, which he had borrowed from the library. Even though he held the book tight in his scarred hands, Remus seemed to be listening rather intently to James and Sirius's conversation. He noticed the sad, disappointed tone in James voice. He knew that this plan that James was having was serious, and that James was really determined. James seemed depressed, but in Remus' opinion, it wasn't a complete failure.

"Prongs, when you were in McGonagall's office, a lot of students were standing at the door, you know." Remus said, looking at James.

"So?" James muttered, not even bothering to look at his friend.

"There was also this particular ginger girl," Remus' face became suddenly dreamy, his eyes looking at somewhere in the distance. It looked a whole lot like the look James had sometimes while talking about Lily. "with sharp, twinkling, penetrating green eyes standing there."

James turned to look at Remus immediately. Remus broke into a grin, while Sirius and Peter rolled off laughing. "Merlin's … Merlin's b-beard, Moony!" Sirius hugged his middle, words coming out in the middle of his laughs. "I – I didn't thought… you were such a talented actor."

"I've – I've never seen any – anyone who looked so m-much like James before." Peter said. If you've ever wondered what a rat looks like when it laughs, all you have to do is come find Peter and make him laugh. He bear so much of a resemblance to this rodent that the fact he was a human seemed impossible.

"Why was Evans there?" James looked half happy, half irritated. Even though he couldn't (and didn't) hold himself and laughed a little, it doubted he as cheesy as what Remus just looked like. He was also feeling nervous. He told Lily he was going to be better and it looked like Lily just found out how he had managed to cause more trouble only two days after he made the promise.

"She followed Padfoot." Remus smiled.

"Why did she follow Padfoot? What was he doing?" James narrowed his eyes at Sirius, who had calmed down a little and was chuckling next to James.

"Talking, mate. I was just having a little chat with Evans." Sirius patted James's shoulder.

James seemed fine with what Sirius had just said. After all, Sirius usually does that, talking the Lily, sometimes to prank her, sometimes to help James, et cetera.

"Oh," Peter said. He had managed to sit up properly and was rubbing his jaws. "Guess what she called you, Prongs?" He said excitedly.

"A git?" James said innocently. Lily always called him a git, or a prat. Or some other things of the same sort.

"She called 'James'! She called you by your first name."

"She did?" James said, thunderstruck. For a moment there, he looked happier he had been in the last hour. Lily never called him by his first name. It was as if he was indicating that they would never get to a close basis. Not even friends. Simply just acquaintances. But then he frowned. "But Potter sounds cooler, and special."

"Shut up, Prongs. You look like you're going to explode with happiness." said Sirius. And indeed, James was feeling so happy he any doubt Dementor could suck all the happiness out of him.

* * *

** A/N **(again): I just want to say, before any of you readers think this chapter was too boring and it looked like I ran out of ideas (which for a moment there, I did) and that you're going to stop reading the up coming chapters, that I have this sort of plot for the next chapter. I'm not going to spoil it for you guys, but please don't leave me and my stupid fanfics. Thanks and hugs and biscuits!


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